Wait, your Harry Potter's son!
by 15Wolffan8
Summary: Albus Potter has had to live with his father's fame and the expectation to behave 'like a Potter' his whole life and it's fair to say he's quite sick of it. So his ambition is to do something completely unique from his father. What he didn't expect was finding Merlin's book and going back to Merlin's time where Camelot is in danger. Oh and he doesn't know how to get back.
1. January 15th

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or Harry Potter**

"Oh I remember that! Yeah, it was around the time Pettigrew brought back you-know-who." His uncle Ron shook his fork in his father's direction, who simply nodded his confirmation before taking a sip of wine – 'imported from Germany, don't you know!'

"Oh for goodness sake, say his name, Ron." His aunt Hermione commanded as she rolled her eyes and received a snort from his mother and a chuckle from his grandfather. His uncle simply spared her one annoyed look before turning his attention back to his father with the sort of glee Albus had learned to decipher as 'inside-information'; like an inside-joke but without the joke part and more as sharing events that only they know. There were a lot of those.

"Of course we were all concentrating on the fact he'd come back but the look on old Snape's face." That was when both his father and uncle began to snicker like schoolboys as his aunt glared at her potatoes, his brother and sister grinned and the rest of the family smiled at the memories they so often recited. Often? How about Always. Albus looked around the large dinning table and at all of his family members.

It was Christmas so they were all there and, as a consequence, there was hardly any room to move. In fact, he had to raise his right elbow almost vertically in the air so he could cut into his beef because James' left arm was in his space and on his left; Lily's left elbow was dangerously close to his food. Underneath the table, his knees kept banging together with Teddy's and every time he tried  
to move, he ended up kicking Victoire or Rose, who were sitting on either side of Teddy. It was very annoying and he thanked his lucky stars he wasn't claustrophobic.

At the end of the table, his grandfather was in a work discussion with his uncle Percy, whilst his grandmother was smiling and nodding to Audrey before she shook a gleaming green cracker underneath her nose and gestured for her to take the other end.

"Wait!" his uncle George almost chocked on a mouthful of carrots as he waved frantically in Audrey's and his grandmothers directions, halting their actions in pulling the cracker. "We've got to do that together." He finally gasped out once he'd swallowed and cleared the intrusion. Albus scrunched up his nose in irritation at the family tradition of simultaneously pulling Christmas crackers; it was too loud, too messy and he just wanted to eat that chocolate cake that his mother had promised he could have as soon as he had eaten his main course. The table was rectangular and so everybody could grab two ends of two different crackers and pull.

He picked up a red glitter-coated cracker and offered one end to his sister whilst accepting the end to a silver cracker from his brother. All around the table, his family sorted themselves until they were all holding two cracker ends.

His father was pulling a cracker with his mother and Ron; Ron was holding another with Hermione; Hermione with Fred; Fred with Angelina; Angelina with George; George with Roxanne; Roxanne with Victoire; Victoire with Teddy; Teddy with Rose; Rose with Hugo; Hugo with Arthur; Arthur with Molly; Molly with Audrey; Audrey with Percy; Percy with younger Molly; Molly with Lucy; Lucy with Fleur; Fleur with Bill; Bill with Louis; Louis with Dominique; Dominique with Charlie; Charlie with Lily; Lily and himself; Himself and James; and James with his mother. He often congratulated himself for remembering all of their names.

"1,2,3, Go!" they all yelled and pulled at the same time. Albus didn't have enough time to cover his ears as 52 Christmas Crackers exploded all at once and covered the entire table with glitter, sparkles and sweets as different colours swirled around their heads. It was exhilarating when he was a child but now it was just a pest, especially when he looked down at his meal and discovered that it was covered in glitter and was now inedible. Of course now he could eat the cake but that wasn't the point – what if he wanted to finish that? Albus didn't know when he became so critical but everything to do with his family made his skin crawl. He loved them – no denying that – but there were just some things that really got on his nerves. The main, unsurprisingly, was the status they hold.

As soon as he announced himself as Albus Potter, they'd all respond with 'Harry Potter's son! Wow…' and then they'd ramble on about how awesome his dad is and how he saved everybody. James, however, had used this status to his advantage. He remembered last year walking past James down the corridor; he had two Hufflepuff girls clinging to his arms and giggling as James smirked down at them.  
"Yes, it is true my dear father is thee Harry Potter; The boy who lived Twice, destroyer of the Dark Lord and Saviour of the Wizarding World." He announced to the girls who swooned at his words. "He's my inspiration, my rock, my…" he then trailed off and pretended to sniffle, making the girls squeal and make sighing noises. "No, no." he said, shaking his head sadly. "I'm fine. He's just so special you know? I'm so glad I share most of his traits." The girls squealed and gripped tighter and as James came close enough to him, he gave him a sly wink.

He'd laughed at the time but now it made him jealous that James was naturally confident, apparently like his grandfather and sharer of the name 'James'. Albus felt like he had to act a certain way, be-friend the right sort of people and act flattered when people complimented his father and reply with 'Oh yes, I'm very proud' when somebody said he must feel really lucky having Harry Potter as his dad. But Albus felt like he wasn't like his father, or grandfather, at all. Harry loathed Draco Malfoy and the Malfoy family when they were at school; Albus actually got on pretty well with Scorpius Malfoy but they had to avoid each other in public otherwise people would get angry and offended. It sounded stupid stated like that but in their second year, Scorpius had asked his help in Care for Magical Creatures and two crazed Ravenclaw third year girls had cursed them and accused Albus of 'Betraying his father'.

His cousins and brother had also had words with him, stating that the Malfoy's were 'Snobbish brats'. They'd both decided to meet in the Room of Requirement for studying and just talking to avoid confrontation. The whole thing with Scorpius made him mad; it was like they were sneaking out for a quick kiss or something – it was absolutely unbelievable. Then there was the whole Quidditch thing. Albus like Quidditch in a healthy way; he liked watching others doing it and casually joining in with his cousins and brother but he wasn't obsessed and he defiantly didn't want to play for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

That failed, however, when James and practically dragged him to try-outs in his second year and forced him to have a go at being seeker. It turns out, Albus was pathetically bad at being Seeker so James had suggested (forced) him to try being chaser. He was boringly average at playing chaser but he'd got a spot because he was Harry Potter's son and James Potter's Grandson/brother – 'His natural ability will come out soon enough. In all fairness, he did improve but that didn't boost up his love for playing Quidditch. Before every-single match, he was assaulted with taunts from the Slytherins and he felt like spewing up his stomach from the nerves and the possibility of injury. But he had to because he was a Potter.

It was ridiculous, and sort of weak, to just go along with all of these silly expectations but he didn't want to kick up a fuss and cause problems within the family or within the school. Instead, he spent most of his time trying to find something he was really good at that wasn't associated with the Potter or Weasley family. So far, he'd discovered a talent in Potions (which he soon discovered was actually a speciality of his grandmother, Lily Potter), muggle gaming (that his grandfather was especially interested in hearing the Dynamics of) and swimming. They were all considered boring by other people so he kept them quiet and continued to try and find and hobby/talent he was especially good at and was so great, it cancelled out the fact he was Harry Potter's son. Yeah, in your dreams mate.

"So Albus," his uncle Ron turned his attention suddenly to him. "How's school?" He felt everybody's eyes swivel towards him and he had to fight back a blush and the uneasiness of all this unwanted attention. How was school? What could he say apart from: yeah, it's alright? Did he want a quid and simple comment like that or did he want him to describe school? See this is a prime example of your social-anxiety.

"It's ok," he said playing with his sparkling sprouts, which Hermione was glaring at like they'd just insulted her honour. "Lessons aren't too hard, Quidditch is ok-"

"Ok?" James spluttered indecently. "It's bloody brilliant!" And then he rambled on about all the techniques he had learned and all of the victories the team had won. The talk of Quidditch was always a boring topic of conversation but it abruptly shifted the attention from him so he wasn't complaining. His aunt Hermione, however, was staring at him as if she wanted to speak but was debating with herself if that would be a good idea or not.

"How you really doing, Al?" She finally asked. He simply sighed and gave her his perfected fake-smile, which she saw through straight away. "And don't say 'fine'."

"Great?' He offered but she just smiled and shook her head. "It's just school," he said grumpily, glancing over as his father high-five James. "Nothing to say, really."

"I don't believe that," she said, pushing her plate away, which was also covered in glitter. "I bet you've got more to say about school than everyone put together." She studied him, which made him shiver. He loved his aunt but her intelligence and observational skills sometimes freaked him out for he hated people reading him and telling him how he's feeling and what he's thinking. He wanted to just spill all of his dark feelings out to her but decided not not, especially not in front of his entire family.

Maybe, later, if they happened to be alone and she asked again he would say something. Maybe. Instead, he sighed and shrugged.

"Not really." He lied. Hermione gave him a look which said: "later" before turning to Fred and asking him how his Transfiguration homework was coming along.

"Al?" Lily tugged at his sleeve until he looked at her.

"What, Lil?" Lily looked around the table to check nobody was watching or listening before leaning in and whispering:

"I want that cake now."

"We can't-"

"No you misunderstand." She smirked at him until he got what she was suggesting. "I want it now." He let an identical grin cross his face whilst thinking: and people think James is the sneaky one. Together, they slipped out of their chairs with a "be right back" to the room at large, who ignored them except for Hermione and Harry.

Harry only briefly looked up before returning to instinctive James on Quidditch practice and Hermione raised her eyebrow suspiciously but didn't object. Snickering slightly, they made their way Into the dinning room, where the cake lay on the coffee table. It was quite big but most importantly, it was smoothed in chocolate. Lily clapped in delight and Albus could only agree. It did look delicious.

"Should we cut a piece out." He asked her.

"How about the whole thing." Albus jumped at the voice but it was only James, leaning casually against the door frame.

"Won't they get annoyed?" He asked. James simply made a tshh sound before approaching the cake and gathering it up in his arms.

"You coming?" He asked them as he walked towards the door. Albus glanced at Lily, who was grinning at James and already following him out of the door. Grunting, Albus followed at a trot.

It turned out, they were pretty angry. Most didn't actually care that the cake was gobbled up by James, Lily and himself - "it would av spoilt my figure any'way!" And some found it pretty funny - "waffled it down, didn't yer! - but some were very annoyed with them:

"I can't believe you ate the whole cake." Ron grumbled, glaring at the three of them.

"I was looking forward to that." Hugo added, folding his arms just like Ron.

"Greedy bastar-"

"Louis!" Fleur, well flared was the only word for it. Albus looked on in amusement as Fleur lectured Louis on manners.

"It was very irresponsible of you all," Hermione said suppressing a smile. "I think the only way to make it up to us is to buy a new cake." Albus groaned. There goes my pocket money.

* * *

Getting back to school and back to the normal routine was both a relief and a curse. A relief because being with all of his family was very cramped and uncomfortable and a curse because he now had to deal with the Slytherins and fans of of his father. He'd only been back for a day and already he had been surrounded by adoring Potter fans and a few sneering Slytherins.

"Got your autograph book out, eh Potter?" Raphando Milson sneered once the Potter fan club had dispersed.

"Ignore them." His best friend, Clive, instructed as be glared at the Slytherins currently blocking their path. Clive was one off the few who didn't treat him differently because of his heritage. They'd met during their first potions class when they'd been assigned as partners and had hit it off pretty much straight away. Clive had then introduced him to his older sisters: Mary and Phoebe.

Phoebe was nice and treated him like he was human but Mary had practically thrown herself at him and tried to flirt her way into meeting his father. He'd quickly forgotten and avoided Mary but he was still close friends with Phoebe, who had then introduced him to Daniel.

Daniel was a fifth year, like himself, but he was in Slytheirn, not like himself. Apart from his scary determination and ambition, Daniel didn't really share anymore Slytherin traits that he knew of. Daniel and Scorpius were good examples that not all Slytheirn's were bad and that was the reason Albus didn't detest them.

"I've heard that there's a new Dark Wizard gaining power in Australia. Maybe the great Albus Potter can earn his stripes and live up to the great family name." Well, there was always room for a change of heart.

"And maybe you can go and join him. That's all your good for after all isn't it? Following?" It would have been a pretty good come-back if he had actually said it.

"Can't even fight your own battles, can you Potter? Have to get old Clivey to do it for you." Milson made a tutting sound as he walked closer to them. "Your a disgrace to the name of Potter." He then began to laugh. Why he didn't know because it wasn't particularly funny. Instead of responding or fighting back with an awesome curse, Albus simply walked away.

"Why did you walk away?" Clive hissed when he caught up.

"Their words don't affect me so why should I get into trouble for scumbags likes them?" Clive seemed satisfied for he dropped to subject and instead sat beside him, waiting for their ghost professor to come through the blackboard. Albus wouldn't admit it, but he actually enjoyed History of Magic, despite their professors boring voice.

He didn't at first because he first ever topic they did was about his dad but after they got off that, be found the lesson interesting. As long as he taught himself or asked Rose to go through it with him. Said person was sitting in front of him, reading a textbook with severe concentration, he knew if must be severe because the amount of noise in the room was deafening.

"Did you do the essay?" Clive yelled at him, ducking as a paper airplane soared right at his head.

"Yeah," he shouted back, wishing the lesson would start already. "What about you?"

"Still got the conclusion to do." He said, getting out a quill and begging to frantically write. Albus got his own textbook out and mimicked Rose. Their current topic was about Merlin, which, it would turn out, was quite a complicated topic. The problem was with learning about Merlin was that hardly anybody knew what the truth was. Yes, Wizards knew a bit more about him than muggles did but only slightly. They knew that he was real, for one.

However, there was still speculation about Merlin's life, even In the Wizarding World. They didn't know if he attended Hogwarts (some say he belonged to Slytherin); how old he was when he died (if he died); if he reincarnated frequently (that got a few of his stupid classmates to speculate him his ads was a reincarnation of Merlin.); or if there was a King Arthur. Many say that Arthur will rise again and Merlin right along with him. Others say Merlin didn't die and is still wandering the earth, waiting for Arthur's return. Albus didn't really have an opinion on the matter; he just found Merlin and Arthur interesting.

"Arthur Pendragon was an almighty king and warrior..." Their professor, who Albus had failed to notice enter the room, began to ramble on, leaving Albus to daydream and magic, Merlin, Arthur and Camelot.

"He's very boring isn't he?" Rose asked after the class, which Clive had managed to sleep through unnoticed.

"Very." He agreed, grinning down at his favourite cousin.

"Do you want to learn everything he just taught us properly?" She asked, grinning.

"Defiantly."

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Clive asked once they turned the wrong way to the dinning hall. "Pie is on the menu today!"

"Library." Albus answered, which made Clive groan.

"God, you two need to get out more. I guess I'll go find Daniel and Phoebe. See you later."

"Bye." And then Clive hurried down the opposite corridor.

"Do you think there'll be a table available?" She asked.

"Yeah. You heard Clive, it's Pie day."

Sure enough, the library was deserted.

"Brilliant." Rose breathed as she trailed off towards the books like a mouth to a flame. Albus smiled before walking over to the restricted section, keeping a grip on his permission form, forged by his brother. He scanned the spines of the books before his eye caught a large, black book with the title: Merlin Emyris sprawled on the spine in ancient looking handwriting.

Carefully, Albus removed the book (coughing out the dust) and traced the cover with his finger. He then checked to see nobody was in the library before he opened the book. The paper was very old and he was scared her would rip them but it turned out, the paper was strong. Probably enchanted. He flicked through and was disappointed to find it was just another conspiracy book about Merlin.

That is until he found out that one of the pages was connected with another. Feeling suddenly excited, he got out his wand and began to charm the papers apart. Now using a spell on an Ancient book like the one he held in his hands that also belongs in the restricted section wasn't one of his genius ideas. The book became suddenly hot once he pried the pages open, which were actually blank, but something was stopping him from dropping the book.

Then, a harsh wind began to form, blowing books from their places on the bookshelves and making Merlin's book's pages turn over in a quick speed yet he still couldn't let go. His eyes began to burn and his face began to involuntary bend closer to the book, as if it was drawing him in. With one last intake of breath and the silent scream finally falling from his lip, it all stopped. Albus fell sideways and began to heave, the world still spinning.

It took him a few more seconds to realise he wasn't in the library anymore. Well he was in a library, just not the school library.

"Well that's weird." He muttered to himself.

"Tell me about it." He shot up straight and looked up to see a man in about his early twenties looking down at him with bewilderedness written across his face.

"Sorcerers aren't supposed to be in Camelot, especially not someone as young as you."

"What-?" The man stood up from his chair and awkwardly ran his fingers through his hair, muttering something about Gaius, the Great Dragon and Arthur.

"How did you even get in here?" The man suddenly asked, his eyebrows furrowed down in confusion.

" I don't-" he didn't know what to say or do. He was utterly confused and everything was too bizarre.

"What's your name?" He asked without looking away from the books scattered around Albus.

"Albus Potter." He said, preparing himself for the compliments of his father.

"I'm Merlin."

"Yes he's my fath- wait what?"


	2. January 16th

_ My dear, oh my dear_

_Will you not follow me into the woods?_

_Leave behind your troubles, of drought and floods._

_But no, my dear, you've misunderstood_

_I'll show you the magic, the legends, the goods._

_My dear, oh my dear_

_Did you not see that over there?_

_Was it a deer, a bird, a squirrel a hare?_

_But no, my dear, you must prepare_

_It was Merlin's magic, the legend, I swear._

_My dear, oh my dear_

_Don't believe in magic, you say?_

_Of Arthur, the round table and all that cliché?_

_But no, my dear, you're in disarray!_

_They're alive, they're true, and they're active this day._

_My dear, oh my dear_

_What do you see?_

_The creatures, the lake or that Great Oak tree?_

_But no, my dear, look beyond the canopy_

_The legends are true and active as the sea._

_Oh, and my dear_

_What could that be?_

_Arthur of Camelot and Merlin are free!_

Most people would have expressed their astonishment in an illogical situation like this by exclamation or rambling but Albus, it would seem, was only capable of gaping and reciting poetry. Brilliant. His father or brother would have responded with a witty remark, his aunt Hermione with an onslaught of questions and even his uncle Ron would have probably gasped with a 'bloody hell' mixed in the middle ('Merlin's pants' being more appropriate in this scenario). However Albus simply continued to stare at Merlin with a disbelieving expression on his face and the temptation to blurt out 'my dear' at the edge of his tongue, just to break the suffocating silence. Merlin was completely oblivious to Albus' numb confusion and was instead carefully touching the transporting book with the tip of his toe, as if he expected it to explode/implode at any second. _That damn book should come with a written warning,_ he thought.

"And you have no idea how you got here?" Merlin looked up at him; his blue eyes seemed to bore into his own, rooting him to the spot.

"No." he breathed out, grateful that he even had the brain capacity to form the word. Merlin bit at his bottom lip in thought before bending down and carefully picking up the book, stretching his arms out and keeping the book at a safe distance from his body.

"So were did you come from?" he asked, glaring at the book as if threatening it to do him harm. Albus quickly snapped out of his dumb state and allowed himself to concentrate on the problem – and question – at hand.

"Hogwarts." Merlin raised an eyebrow before shaking his head.

"I've never heard of it. Is it close to Camelot?" further than you could possibly imagine, he thought, glancing around at the ancient looking library. He had to admit, this library was much more impressive than Hogwarts but that was probably because of the strange carvings in the bookshelves' wood or the numinous feeling he was currently being overwhelmed with. _Well, _Merlin_ is standing right in front of you._ But is it _the_ Merlin? _This man could be any Merlin and I'm pretty sure Merlin was old with a silvery beard. _

_Yeah but he did just mention Camelot. _

"I should take you to Gaius," Merlin was saying, more to himself than Albus. "It's probably for the best; I don't want to accidentally send you to a completely different era." Merlin was grinning at him but Albus couldn't bring himself to smile back.

"So, Albus." He cleared his throat awkwardly at Albus' brick wall contribution. "How old are you?"

"15." He replied, monotone. He blinked a few times to clear his head before giving Merlin a small smile and shattering the growing tension. "In 2022." He added, smiling more at Merlin's enlarging eyes.

"Gaius-"

"Merlin!" a booming voice came from the hallway leading to the library and Albus could see the shadow of a man getting closer and closer as he marched towards the large doors. Suddenly, he was being dragged into the next isle with an 'It's Arthur; keep low and quiet," for an explanation. Being the smart and observant character he was, Albus sensed that meeting the king wouldn't be a good idea.

"Oh, there you are." He heard the king say, his tone audibly softer than before. "Where have you been all day?" Merlin only paused for a second before Albus could hear him tap the book and say:

"Researching for Gaius." He said simply and confidentially. He heard Arthur's grunt of annoyance before he heard his footsteps getting further away.

"How long are you going to be? I need to go hunting."

"Why do you need me?" Merlin asked. Albus could hear the sarcasm in Merlin's voice, having James as a brother made him able to do that, and he could tell that Merlin was deliberately winding-Arthur-up.

"Shut up, Merlin; you can't honestly expect me to carry all of the supplies and weapons. Besides, I need you to cook."

"Why would you need me too cook?" Merlin's tone was cautious, as if he knew exactly what Arthur was implying.

"We'll be gone for three days." This time, it was Arthur's tone that was light and cheerful as he left the library and leaving Merlin to grumble under his breath, calling Arthur names he wouldn't dare say in to his Royal Highness' face. Merlin's head popped around the bookshelf, an apologetic smile plastered on his face before he gestured for him to follow.

"I'll take you to Gaius, ask his opinion and get you some new clothes because wearing that you would attract the attention of every single eye in the kingdom." Merlin was saying as he marched them down a corridor, his eyes scanning every corner and shadow for stray servants or anybody who could carry the gossip of a strange boy in witchcraft clothes around Camelot and to the king's ears. "After that…well I suppose you'll have to come hunting with me."

"Why?" Albus asked, glancing at Merlin and pinching his hand for the fifth time in an attempt to wake himself up yet to only suffer a sharp pain and to cause him to curse silently.

"I'm guessing sorcery is accepted in your era." It wasn't a question, just an observation and prediction. "Here, your gifts will mean your death if it is discovered." Albus shuddered involuntarily and he found it quite ironic how purebloods wanted to purify Wizards and Witches from muggle blood whilst here the muggles were killing them off like cattle. Maybe muggles and Wizards aren't so different after all.

They rounded a sharp corner and up some stairs before Merlin pushed open a door and led him inside. "I think it is best if you stay close to me." The room that they were in was filled with potions and books; Albus couldn't see a space where a book wasn't placed. The room did look smaller than what it would if it wasn't crammed up like it was but Albus actually liked it that way for it made the room look cosier and very important. When he got back home, he intended to cover his walls in books and create the same effect.

"Is that your room?" he asked, pointing towards the adjoining room and the back of the large 'library room'. Merlin raised his head from a book he had propped open and nodded his confirmation when he followed Albus' pointing finger.

"Just a bed, drawers and books in there." Merlin added as he frantically flicked through a book that looked older than Hogwarts itself. "You can go and pick out some clothes, if you wish." He mumbled, a concentrating frown etched onto his brow – something he had seen on Hermione, Rose and Scorpius many a time. Awkwardly, Albus made his way into Merlin's room; not actually knowing what curtsey should be taken. Yes, Merlin had asked him to pick out clothes but what if he picked out a piece of clothing that was precious to Merlin or personal? _See this is why I hate borrowing_ _from people_, he thought grumpily as he picked out a purple shirt and trousers.

Albus was surprised to note that he was about the same size as Merlin, even though he must be twice his age but he quickly dismissed it for the different eras and the richer foods he must eat compared to Merlin. Despite his dumb state when he first transported into the library and met Merlin, Albus was surprised to note his calm exterior especially since he had no idea how to get home. He felt…numb. As if this wasn't actually happening to him and he'll wake up any minute to James hovering over his face, grinning as he struck his sides with his fingers and making Albus jerk upwards. His ribs were a sore spot so if you even touched them gently he'd jerk away so when James discovered this weakness of his he was delighted to use it for his form of entertainment.

Come to think of it, Albus thought as he removed his Hogwart's school uniform and placed the shirt over his head, James often uses me for a source of his entertainment. When he was feeling bored, usually during the summer holidays, James liked to stick his finger into Albus' ear and say 'Whippet!" and would only stop when their mother shouted at James to leave him alone. Other times, he'd charm Albus' clothes so they read…unflattering messages or pull on their father's invisibility cloak and breath down Albus' neck. One time when Clive and Daniel stayed over, James sneaked into his bedroom – flanked by his two best mates, Robert Nott and Fiona Snowater – and placed his hand into a bucket of warm water so he peed himself. He was sure he must have put a potion or a charm into the water but James wouldn't tell him anything, even when afterwards he corned him and flung hexes at his unprepared brother.

The month grounding, which included solitude and the withdrawal of magic, was defiantly worth it to see James' candyfloss pink hair that couldn't be taken off until it wore off three weeks later. However now, thinking back, Albus could have sworn his father winked at him when he told James the grave news that there wasn't anything he could do. Even though James could be a real pain in the arse and adored humiliating Albus in every way his twisted brain could muster, Albus did enjoy the pranks he was actually apart of.

He remembered when he was eight; his mother came home with a brood of chickens, delighted that she could collect their own eggs and convinced a reluctant Lily to help her with assembling the chicken eggs. James thought it would be great if they sneaked out before their mother and sister was due to gather the eggs, get the eggs themselves and then proceed to smash the eggs all over the house. They did this for three months until their father caught them in the act but even then it was at least a week later when Ginny found out. It must have been a funny sight for Lily as she watched her mother scolding her two brothers and her father, all covered in egg yolks and their heads hung down in shame. That was probably his best memory with his father and brother as they all laughed quietly together as the flung eggs at the wall.

Chucking to himself, Albus tied his shoelaces and walked back into the room to see Merlin talking frantically with an older gentleman, who was wearing a long, blue robe. The old man flicked back his shoulder length, silver hair back in irritation whilst Merlin pointed at the book and gestured with his other hand. The man pulled out a pair of spectacles and peered down at the book as Merlin glanced up and gestured for him to approach. Awkwardly, Albus walked towards Merlin and the man, only just avoiding tripping over the books that were scattered on the floor which Albus suspected were not there before Merlin began to look through them. The old man looked up from the book when Albus approached and stood up straighter, extending his arm as he did so.

"My name is Gaius, the Court Physician of Camelot." He introduced himself formally.

"Albus Potter." He said, grasping the man's hand and shaking it.

"It would seem, Albus, that you're out of your time," Gaius said as he peered back at the book. "There are only snippets of information about time travel and even fewer cases." Gaius was explaining, still talking to the book. He flipped a few pages before pointing, just like Merlin had done. "This is an extract from the book wrote by Romilido Lingswood, a powerful sorcerer who spent most of his time experimenting with spells and enchantments. He specialised in medicine but he did occasionally practice combat spells." Gaius reached out and grabbed onto another book and flicked through before stopping. "There is theory that Romilido Lingswood was fascinated by time and different universes; he spent half of his life reading about it and coming up with his own theory. His main aim was coming up with a spell, enchantment or potion that could take you back or forward in time."

Albus glanced up at Merlin. He was grasping his lower lip between his thumb index finger, his ankles crossed as he leant against the wall.

"Do you think he succeeded?" Merlin asked Gaius. Gaius leant back in his chair and entwined his fingers, his thumbs erect.

"Many say so. Others say that he didn't disappear like the records show but arrived in the future to avoid the persecution of his kind."

"And what do you think?" Gaius looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"I think it's plausible. There is no denying the man was very powerful; I've used a lot of his spells and potions in the past."

"What about the book that actually transported me here?" Albus suggested. Gaius raised an eyebrow, obviously only hearing about this information now. Merlin reached behind him and presented Gaius with the book, smiling apologetically for forgetting to mention it before.

"I'm afraid this is useable." Gaius said, staring at the spine.

"Why?" Merlin voiced his own question.

"Because you wrote this." Gaius said, meeting Merlin's eyes from across the table. "Obviously not yet but you will."

"I'm going to write a book in the future?" he looked both pleased and unbelieving.

"Indeed." Gaius said, running his finger over the cover of the book. "Your name is written on the spine."

"But why can't we use it?" Albus asked, confused.

"Time is a very risky thing to mess with," Gaius explained, staring straight at him with those wise eyes. "Who knows what this book contains? It's probably just Merlin's encounters but if our Merlin or even I see the contents of this book and discover future events, it could be a disaster." He remembered the story his father had told him about how in their third year, Aunt Hermione and himself freed Sirius by using the time turner. They had had to sneak around and make sure they weren't seen or else bad things could happen.

"But what about me? I'm from the future so couldn't I change something important?" Albus asked, suddenly aware of his movements. Gaius chuckled whilst closing the books.

"As long as you don't kill anyone I'm sure everything will be fine." Gaius smiled at him reassuringly, making Albus relax slightly. Slightly. "I intend to find Romilido Lingswood's original journal. Where, I can only guess." He looked around the room with a look that had Albus believing this man has had to rummage through mountains of books before. "But, considering it's in your book Merlin, I can't help but presume it will be you to find the answer." He smiled at Merlin with what could only be pride.

Albus was just about to offer his assistance with the search of Romilido's book but the booming voice of Arthur Pendragon just down the corridor paused his words. Merlin only had the time to whisper, "You're my cousin." before the king entered. He was slightly taller than Merlin with blond hair and shockingly bright blue eyes that scanned the room before resting on him. He was dressed in hunters wear: Brown shirt, trousers and boots with the Pendragon seal pinned to his jacket and engraved onto his ring. If his heart weren't in his mouth, he would have found the king's double take funny. Arthur raised and eyebrow pointed at him and gaped.

"Albus." Merlin blurted out, biting his lip as soon as his name left Merlin's lips. Merlin then turned towards him, nervously smiling before turning back to Arthur. "My cousin." He added.

"Right." Arthur said slowly nodding his head; obviously wanting Merlin explain in more detail.

"My mother is having a hard time with the farm and she's finding it hard to provide for five children alone." He lied swiftly. "She knew that her sister had sent her son to Camelot and thought it would be best if I stayed with Merlin for a while." Then, as an afterthought: "My Lord." He didn't know if he should bow so lowered himself down slightly before straightening up. He thought the move awkward and forced but the king was smiling so he must have done something right.

"Well, Albus, I see you've got more manners than your cousin," he turned his head towards Merlin and looked pointedly at him whilst Merlin rolled his eyes. "So it's a pleasure to meet you." He said, turning his attention back to Merlin so he could smirk. "And now I'm in need of your services, Merlin." He said.

"Albus is coming." Merlin said abruptly, making Albus' eyes widen at the order in Merlin's tone. Instead of punishing Merlin for his rudeness, Arthur simply considered Albus before nodding his agreement.

"He can help with your carrying and cooking." The king informed before he left, saying "Five minutes" as he turned his back.

"Gaius…"

"Yes, I know. I'll look for the book whilst you're gone." Merlin thanked Gaius before gathering up some supplies and leading Albus out of the room.

* * *

Admittedly, Albus had never seen a horse up close before, never mind riding one. He found it uncomfortable as he jumped up and down without realising he needed to find the rhyme of the horse and he was sure the few knights that Arthur was taking with him were laughing at his expense. Merlin had tried to give him tips but that didn't help him ride professionally like everyone else seemed to be.

"Never rode before, Albus?" one of the knights asked, smirking as the others snickered. Blushing slightly, Albus shook his head. He could see Merlin scowling at the knights from the corner of his eye but that just seemed to amuse the knights more.

"Where have you come from? Is there no horses where you come from?" the largest of the knights asked, grinning at the other who had previously commented on his lack of experience.

"Leave him be." Merlin said casually with a hint of command that he'd used on the king before. The knight who commented first simply whistled before turning away and punching the larger knight in the arm playfully at a comment Albus did not hear.

"Ignore them," Merlin said as he rode beside him. "Gwaine and Percival enjoy provoking the new face."

"No matter. I'm used to it." He said, thinking about James.

"Who is everyone?" he asked Merlin, glancing at the unfamiliar faces.

"Well you know Gwaine and Percival already so the one to Arthur's right is Ser Elyan, the Queen's brother, and to his left is Ser Leon." Merlin pointed to the knights. Albus made a quick note of their names so not to embarrass himself further if he has to address them by name later.

"Lets make camp!" Arthur shouted so everyone could hear as he jumped of his horse.

"Thank goodness." Gwaine groaned as he dismounted, stretching when his feet touched the ground. "Hey Merlin, you and your cousin can tie up the horses for us." Albus was about to refuse but Merlin placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm guessing where you come from you've never had to obey orders." Merlin whispered with a smile before accepting Gwaine's reins as well as Percival's. Sighing, Albus climbed down and congratulated himself for not falling on his arse, even though he did sway dangerously. He grabbed the reins of his horse before grabbing the reins of Arthur's and Ser Leon's. He followed Merlin deeper into the woods, who was guiding his own, Gwaine's, Percival's and Ser Elyan's horses, and tied the reins around the trunks of the trees around them.

"Why do you serve him?" Albus asked as they made their way make towards the main party. "With all of the power you have, why bother serving?" Merlin glanced at him but that meant he wasn't looking where he was going so he tripped on the uneven ground. Albus' head snapped up at the laughter that filled the silent night and scowled at the knights who were in hysterics. Albus crouched down and helped Merlin to his feet as his so-called-friends continued to laugh.

"You really are a useless buffoon, aren't you Merlin?" the king laughed as he sat on top of a fallen tree with the rest of the knights sitting next to him. Albus suddenly felt rage build up in side of him but was calmed as Merlin smiled at him and mouthed 'It's ok'. The night was becoming chilly and it was becoming dark, probably near twilight. Albus found the prospect of camping outside both exciting and nerve racking for he had never slept under the stars before. He supposed lying on the floor instead of a bed would be uncomfortable and cold but the noises of the forest seemed to lift Albus' spirits up.

He leant against a tree, observing Merlin cooking the meal and wishing he knew how so he could help, and wondered once more why the most powerful wizard that has ever lived was serving and letting people give him orders. He watched the knights and the king joke and laugh, unknowing that a great sorcerer was busy making their meal. He was about to walk over to Merlin when an arrow lodged itself into the tree, just beside his head. He heard Arthur shout as he felt a trickle of blood run down his cheek where the arrow had caught him.

* * *

Sorry for the wait :) The things that James has done to Albus that I mentioned came from what my uncle used to do to my dad when they were younger so yes, the egg thing really happened. Anyway feel free to review. -x-


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